Animal trap



- J. U. LEHN Sept. 30, 1952 ANIMAL TRAP 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed July 5 1951 I.IIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-'1 v INVENTOR.

- QH ML-EHN 'BY l A r TOR/VEX ANIMAL TRAP Sept. 30, 1952 2' SlIEETS SHEET 2 Filed July 5, 1951 IIIIIIIA-JII INVENTOR. (/OH/VU Law A TTO/ /VEY Patented Sept. 30, 1952 Y UNITED STATES-i: OIEFICEIY ANIMAL TRAIL- John U.*Lehn=,'Lititz,-Pa;, assignorto Animal'Tfap' I Company 01: America; LititziPai a corporation n of' Peinnsylvania AppliationJ 3,1951, Serial NOL235,036.T

3 Claims? (Cl. 43-835) This" invention relates ':to animal traps "and is It is the principalbbject ofrthe present inven-' moraparticularly concerned; with an'animal'trap f tionto' provide an :improved automatically' 'setta having a spring-actuated. jaw. orstriker. bleztrap ofthe"spring-actuatedjaw typer" A .type 'of "animal "trap commonly':used-"for ItliS another-object'cf-the'-invention"top1'0"-' catchinE'mice", rats and. likesmall 1'animals.in. vide "a trap of thecharacter indic'atedvwhich is the home and in" industrial establishments in--. positive and-sensitive inactionand-i'seasilybaiterl volves' a springurged jaw pivotallyflg'mounted i andset W th ut da upon a' suitable .ba'se. When, the trap isjsetgthe His 2. further" objector the invention to "1310? jaw i-s held back against the tension of the spring vide. an' improved? automatically-j"'settable trap anctwhen'sprun'g' by theanimal forcefully pivots 10 formed wholly from'm'eta'l'. p towar'd'the base to catch the'animal between ,the. In accordancevvith'fth: inventioni-thei'eis pro jaw and the .base. In such traps, and especiallyf; vided a traosuitablezfor catching mice, rats and in..the caseJof larger. traps adapted forcatchi'ng like small 'animals comprising a base;ta spring rats; the sprin'g when placed..junder tension-. in; actuated jaw pivcta'llyfmounted:thereon,'a lock-" thsettingof the trap,,.exerts"a relativelylstronggls. s b r e eaeeabl 'i r d wh home?" force upon therjaw anclwhen'rele'ased movesthe ing member'having ardetent .portionengageable jawlrapidlyf and forcefully from theset position. with/the locking:- banitorholcl'"the locking' bar" to the sprung position against.the.'-base. Iffjfin. against 'movemenvwhenthe.;trap:is set... Therf setting the trap, the jaw-should .be accidentallyg construction of the trapiis'such thatzpositive'auto-- release.d,"fserio1is.injury,to theha'nds; ofthelpere go matic setting'jtakes'placejby .cam"action.."of 'th'e r sonsetting thetrap mightresult; Variouspro-i jaw against ther-locking'ban'and' the:baitholding"" posals have? been heretofore madeifoi'. providing, e b r is i y a c ssibleior baitin W li an automaticisettingmeansfoir trapsofthisjtype. trap isl'in the sprung position?" Furthermorw wherein'itlis not necessary tor the personsetting means'. are provided -toipr v nt"a talfdis the trap to bring hishandsin' a vulnerableposk -25. placementof. the. cooperatingxpartst. of the trap}; tion..., when the trap is in sprung position. x

However, fill. thistype of; trap" it...is' .necessary. Other .objectsand features of'the invention wili 'g': that-the. bait. holding. portion. of.v Zthemtrapbe; be .readily apparent from ptheffollowing detailedfi readilyjl .accessiblelfoi;baiting. when. .th'eptrap description thereof and fromthe-drawingsiwhere sprungsince the-baiting.ofalsettrapisobviously; 30 V in; a dangerous procedure. and .if .lth'etrap is; at .i'allll 'is'a longitud a ct onal VieWOf a trapxj sensitive .injury.1'will"'.inevitablyT--. occur "unless embodyi features. ofv ,Tth p esent. inv ntion?- specialzmeans are-.takentoprevent iti'LjFurthr-i showing the r l plj fl parts"when theitra more, inithemanufacture'. citraps for. miceand is in'setposition; v i rats; it is not onlyimportant thattheybeefiective;.35. Fig. 2115 .la' transverse sectional view. .apprcxiy' foi itheirfintendeduse-butlitis alsaessential thatiif mately. alon t B- F 1; f theconstrnction be asfreeas .possibleifrom..com.-=' Fi -=3 n l l V W lidldm plicated-andintricate elementsand thatthe traps...v and latching p rti of the p' h i t m be. adapted..1'to'..loe.. manufactured inexpensivem; in theirrelative positi h h rap-isset/:1. sincethis type of, trap' must .besoidi at retail at a .40 Fi 4 s a lon it d s c o l w sho n relatively. 1 low i price..- Complicated vlistructu'res, thelrelaiiionshipf pa ts "Whenthe' t ap s fli" therefore, regardlce'SsQofthirf efiectiveness are. Sprung p generally not economical. for .trapsfl of this type F i is n elevatiflnal View f he' i h i -5 since they-.undulyincrease the costiofmanufacand latchingimembers.ofithe trapishowingtheir turer. Prior attemptstomanufacturerautcmati relative relationshipjin'sprung position;..v cally settable'traps of the jaw'type have'resulted Fig.6 isa plan view of theitrap hownin Fifi. .1.1 eithenina structure too complicated fo'r'economi Fi' g. 7 is a horizontalsectional view ofga' trap callarge scale" "productionor-have resulted' in embodyingfeatures onthe inventicnand vis'imila'r structuresiwhichareidifilcult to bait because of to the trap "oi Figs. 1 through" 6L'but showingja ther'inaccessi'bility oftthe' baitfi'holding memberr modified form of base which' .permits1release; of Fiirthermoreyin an effort .to' reducethe cost .of the .jaw. upon lateral. movement or the baitpedali thetrapait ha's'been; proposed to. formthe traps, Fi 8 is.;a .sectional'view ltaknfipprozdmately. whoilyfoimetal: .Th'e prior'proposals, however, along the line 8 8 or Fig; 1;and have vnot 'taken fullTadvantage of theme of the Fig.,.9 is;a .sectional:.view. taken approximately;

metal and'have not. fullylrealized. thirLintendetlis -along the-1ine.9j-;-;.9 of Fig.3. advantages. Referring tothe drawings, and 'particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, the numeral Hi designates generally the base of the trap. The base I is stamped from a sheet of metal to provide a bottom I 2 and a peripheral flange [4 extending around the bottom. Centrally of the base H) the flange I4 rises on each side to define projecting portions l6 which are provided at their apices with apertures ll. Centrally of the bottom l2 there is provided an integral vertical T-shaped support bar having a body 2| and outwardly extending arm portions 22, the support bar 20 being cut from the bottom 12 and bent upwardly at right angles. Similarly, the rear portion 23 of the base l0, which is advantageously of reduced width relative to the remainder of the base, is formed with an upstanding integral mount 24 which has a vertical slot 25 extending therein upwardly from the bottom 12.

Pivotally connected to the base 10 is the jaw 30. Jaw has a rear portion 3| with a depending flange 32 along its sides, and an upwardly-directed front portion 34. The flange 32 is provided with apertures 35 which coincide with the apertures ll in the base flange projecting portions l6 when the parts are assembled to permit the passage of a pin 31 which pivotally connects the jaw 30 the base 10. The dimensions of the jaw 30 are such that the rear portion 3| and the flange 32 are received inwardly of the flange M of the base, the two flanges thus telescoping at their forward ends when the trap is in sprung position, as shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 6, the forward portion of the flange 32 may be serrated to define teeth 38. The teeth 38 serve to increase the holding action of the jaw upon the animal, and they are thus advantageous but not essential. The forward portion of the flange I 4 of the base 10 may similarly be serrated, if desired. The forward portion 34 of the jaw 30 is formed with a large aperture 39.

The jaw 30 is normally urged into sprung position by a spring 40 which is advantageously formed from a single length of wire which is coiled in two places about the pin 31, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and has a connecting bail-shaped portion 4| which bears against the underside of the rear portion 3| of jaw 30 and leg portions 42 which bear against the bottom l2 of the base Ill. The spring 40 thus continually urges the trap into sprung position, i. e. it exerts a force upon the jaw 30 which causes it to pivot forwardly, that is to' say, in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. The force with which the jaw moves toward the base depends, therefore, upon the power imparted by the spring 40.

The automatic setting of the trap results from the coaction of a locking bar 45 and a pivotally mounted bait holding treadle member 45. Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the treadle member 46 comprises a forward bait holding portion 48 and a rearward weighted portion 50. The weighted portion 50 has depending side flanges 52 having apertures 53 at their forward end for reception of the arms 22 of the T-shaped support bar 20 for pivotally mounting the treadle on the base. As may be seen in Fig. 1, the treadle is so mounted that the weighted portion 50 normally over balances the bait holding portion 48 and holds the bait holding portion 48 in an elevated position (Fig. 2).

In the embodiments illustrated, the bait holding portion 48 has a forwardly projecting arm which terminates in a recurvate end portion 55 defining an approximately cylindrical chamber 56 and having a serrated edge 51 approaching but providing a small clearance of the order of 2 inch to inch with respect to the arm portion of the member 48. Chamber 56 is provided with an aperture 58 and has open ends. This bait holding structure is described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 204,197 filed January 3, 1951. The bait holder of the present invention, however, is not limited to this specific bait holding arrangement and any other convenient form may be employed.

The weighted portion 50 of the treadle 46 is slotted as indicated at 60 for a purpose which will be explained hereafter. Thus, the top of the weighted portion 501s provided with the longitudinal slot 60 which is substantially T-shaped in outline and has portions extending downwardly into the flanges 52. The slot 60 extends forwardly toward the bait holding portion of the treadle and ends in a detent edge 62. The treadle 46 is formed from a strip of metal which has been suitably cut and stamped toprovide the above described structure.

Cooperating with the treadle 46 is the previously mentioned locking bar 45. The locking bar 45, like the treadle 46, is formed from a strip of metal which has been cut and stamped to define a relatively narrow main portion 64, an upwardly extending forward projection 65 and an enlarged rear portion 66. The rear portion 66 is formed with an inwardly extending longitudinal slot 68 having an upwardly extending forward extension 10 providing an abutment surface 12 along its rearward edge. The longitudinal slot 68 defines a tongue 14 at the bottom of the rear portion and, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 4, the locking bar 45 is pivotally mounted to the base 10 by reason of the passage of the tongue I4 through the slot 25 in the mount 24 which, as previously described, is formed integrally with the base I0 by suitably cutting the base and bending the mount upwardly at right angles. The cross bar 15 of the mount 24 extends through the slot extension 10 and thus provides a fulcrum for limited pivotal movement of the locking bar.

As shown in Fig. 5, the treadle 46 is positioned D over the locking bar 45, the projection 65 extending upwardly through the slot 60 above the level of the top surface of the treadle. The upper part of the rear portion of the locking bar 45 has a rearwardly extending projection 11 at the lower end of which is a forwardly-extending locking recess I8. The upper wall 19 of the looking recess 18 is inclined upwardly to a slight degree depending upon the sensitivity desired in the trap. The lower wall of the locking recess 18 is formed with a downwardly and forwardly extending cam surface 80, the cam surface extending rearwardly somewhat beyond the end of the projection 11, as may be clearly seen in Fig. 4, to insure engagement with the jaw when the trap is set, as will be described below.

When the forward end of the locking bar 45 is pivoted upwardly about mount 24, the lower edge of the locking bar is raised to the level of the top of the detent edge 62 on the treadle 46 and forward movement of the locking bar will cause its forward end to slide over the top of the detent edge. To facilitate this action, the lower forward portion of the locking bar is pointed and formed with a bearing surface 82. Engagement of the rear portion of. the locking bar to cause the above described pivotal movement is effected by a downwardly projecting tongue 84 formed integrally with the rear'porition l. ;oI 7-.th&rJ%W 3n-rand havinei anraperturgi her with; respect-to itheetreadleit stherebrrpreei .definin member-86a ven edsand proper; positio ing o .tha .parts;sroai In-, se tting; the trap it; .is;;p1.840edin.. aiha izentals automaticasettingroicthe trap- .1 ..always.=sinsnredii pqsi-tionwithethe; s ba-ser l 0, :downward. :The ri'jagwf As, abovecdeseribediilnrthenlra'pishowrrzlmiiigfiii isg-piyotedmy moving;the rear pcrtionxfl downs. 5-; 1 through-6' thee-release? of?ithesfiaiwmtakesirplacer wardly towardthe-base; e.= g.;.byholding therear; upon downward-or; forward movementiof thezrbaita portions of the jaw .andntheu base; betweenathe holding portion; 48 f -the;,tread1e:4 8i zasz a zresults thumbmandr therforefingerg As the; rear..-pertion ofzpressure exerted 5111;011: 112 by; theiranimahaa ar; p t w. moves downwardly; the-.; cam's-ba-r 8 6;; tempting-into: take ,nthe. baits. In :acuordancedwit engagesthebamsurface 88zand-further rpressilrflzl0 a apreferred feature .ofrthezinventionz howevieia" .1 causes theelocking banfi. .-to;;pivot;tthe:cam ar: provide r-means.:.:for,:effectingnthe releasecof .zthe't 86 sliding forwardly on the camtsurface w until; treadle, also iuponglateral movementz'ofrtheibaitzl itisbeneath theitws e 70f thelcckinegreces's holdin -:nortion-flinthuszincreasingztheilikelihodd 18 ;?.--A s-. the, locking-, barg pivotst thewforwardt; of;timelygrelease ofvthez'fiawi lnzsome oases ftherg pointed; lower gendzof the looking i ban-rpassesssthe-q animal-taking thetbaitimait movetitlierbaitihoid-i edge; 62. :sq; thats the abearingrgsurfacee82: ing -;port-ion;.-laterally;, without: exerting-any: downst lies aboye the adjaeentsurface;- of-.-the; -treadle; wardtor forwardi pressure. :uponritr Itz'isaadvlani-s' Releaseg=ofi the jawapermits the tongue 84 to .-mov.e-; tageous;rgtherefora to'insure that he; jaw wilt? be releasedcunderl :such z-conditionsrii Anitemhodii-ir; walls!!! of the; lockingrecessg'n, causing he look .men-t: of. the invention:havingglateralajawmreleaseirv ing.; .;bar.;to slideforwardly to move the:gbearing; means is, showrr-in J gS- i7 and"9-,'2wherein corre= surfap az into ngagement with gthe {topsurfaceg sponding partssare designated. byrthesame refer-1. off-the @treadle at the -,rorward;end Din-the;slotwfillip ence;-; numerals-; usedsi'inrFigsa 1 through. 6 wnn There-:isenough play -in the;rpivotal mountings fin the addition of 100. As seen in Figs. 7aandii9fii the;=locking;bar-- to; permit suoh gnovementr; Ad -f," 25, the bottomrl l2- of 'therzbase: H0 is formediwith vantageously, this portionmf;thersurface ofm'thea tw0;-:integral, upwardlyeextendingassubstantiallyn treadlejis formed with 5% slight depression 5881:1301: sends-spherical projectionsbr; bossesii llfl'idisposedii facilitateereceptionqof the ybearin surface: 82;}. onpeach-side-i-of zthe flanges;l52iiofetheirtreadlee Continued forward moyement'of;theglockingpar- 146s; Thebosses 198 are :zpositionem neariitthes by reason of the action-.ofithe bamzrbamfigagainsti3Q- rear edge -of the: iriangeszzel 52;:and'rare'zdispcsed the sur face;. 19 is;-prevente.d ,-by-,;enga:g.ement 'ofrg' inrsuch;mannersr-thatvranyz appreciable-:zlateraiii the-,.-.cr.oss e-ba-r. 15"with;. the;;abutment surfaced2 moyementqofjthe treadl'eirl46 .willtcause thezlowem of. -thei -slot*extension This engagement: also: edgQ.-.0f ,one=of theiflanges to: ride'iup on lthe suripreven s:furtherimoyement: of -the;; cam;;ba ;86 face, ofxtheadjacent: boss-1r!QIR-ithushcausing their and; thus glooksthe; jaw-1 1111358133117083131011; 35. treadleeto; pivotiforwardly rabout: armszz [222201 5 The; trap is;--;trippedor-zsprung vby the jdOWHE}? T'-shap,edsupportrbarwlm uponrwhichzthel treadlezaa ward- 01. rw rd movement. rofsthe bait holding iS ..p Y' 01111116112; Thus};whenlfthfic fdfwardti portion 48 of the treadle 46 asaresu1t. -,oi- ,pres-;: bait-holding;portion;i4810f;the;-'treaclle:isimoved l sure; exerted uponaitiby the animal attempting to laterally by:the animal, the.:rear;rportion-ii the take the bait. Downward movement of the bait 4istread1e will be simultaneouslyimoved ilaterallyiiinri holding portioncausesthe.treadlezto. pivot about the oppositexdirection'ppausing.oneazof the-flanges theiarms .22. andto freethe,bearinglsurface 82 I521. to:;ride;=upr:.up0n; the iadja'ee'ntiibosszatlalls of thelocking'bar of engagement with theysur-=- This will force atheatreadleastoapivotsforwardlyizi face adjacent detent edge,62. Thelocking bar and-asa-resu1t:'the;forward:bait:noldinguportiomi then pivots forwardly-under the combined inlwilll move downwardly-5 -As;wi1l1;be:clearfromtlrefli fluenceg-of; gravity and the foroetexerted upon the 1 e p i n izOf the:embodimentnshowniwinr Figs surface r19 by theram bar. .863 Forwardiipivoti-f 1 vthrough$6.1 doitmwardx-zmcvementrof' them ingi f the, -locking.bar.thus releases: the camvbar holdingiportionl48;etrips?;or springs-:thentrapb 86 from the locking recess 18 and the jaw pivots freeing the locking bar from engagement with forwardly under the force exerted by the spring the surface adjacent detent edge I62. The lock-' 40, the forwardjaw portion 34 moving rapidly in bar then pivots forwardly and releases the toward the base in thereby catching the animal, cam bar I86 from thelocking recess I18 and the the teeth 38 on the forward portion of the flange jaw pivots forwardly under the force exerted by 32 serving to hold the animal more securely. the spring I40. Springing of the trap is thus Similarly, forward movement of the bait holdinsured in the embodiment of Figs. '7 and 9 upon ing portion 48 frees the bearing surface 82 of the downward or forward movement of the bait holdlocking bar of engagement with the surface ading portion I48 or uponlateral movement or jacent detent edge 62 and sets the above-menthis member in either direction. tioned sequence of steps in operation. As previously mentioned, ease of manufacture It will be observed that when the trap is in and assembly is a very important consideration sprung position as shown in Fig. 4, the recurvate from a practical standpoint in the construction end 55 of the bait holding portion 48 extends of a mouse and rat trap which is adapted for upwardly through the aperture 38 in the forward use in the home and which must be economical portion 34 of the jaw by reason of the rearward to manufacture. All of the parts of the above pivotal movement of the treadle under the in- 5 described traps, with the exception of the spring fiuence of the weighted portion 50. The trap 40 and the pin 31, are formed from integral strips is therefore very easily baited, the selected bait, of sheet metal which are out and stamped to e. g. cheese, bacon or the like being stufied into the desired form, and the treadle and the lockthe cylindrical chamber 56, which is readily acing bar are pivotally mounted on integral porcessible. It will also be noted that the projections of the base In without the need for suppletion 65 at the forward end of the locking bar mentary mounting means. Thus, to assemble the 45 at all times extends through the aperture 6| trap, the tongue 14 is first inserted through the and keeps the locking bar in alignment with reslot 25 in the mount 24 by passing the slot 68 spect to the treadle no matter in what position vertically along the cross bar 15 and then pivotthe trap is held. Displacement or the locking ing the locking bar forwardly to cause theoross denser bar-'1 to pass'to the slot extension 10. The treadle is then placed over the locking barand the "flanges 52 press'edinwardly to engage the arms 22 of the T-shaped support bar 20. The jaw 39 and the spring are then placed in po'sition'over the base l0 and the pin '31 pass through the aligned apertures I! and 35 and the coils of the spring 40. The trap is then ready for use; It will be apparent that the manufacture andassembly of the trap is a relatively simple'operation and yet a trap is provided which is effective in operation and fool-proof in action.

While I have thus disclosed my invention with particular reference to illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments shown and described without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims, and it is intended, therefore, that all matter contained in the foregoing description and inthe drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a trap of the character described, a base, a spring actuated jaw pivotally mounted on said base, a treadle pivotally mounted onsaid base on a pivot member integral with said base, said treadle having a forward bait holding portion and arearward weighted portion normally holding the bait holding portion in an elevated position, said rearward weighted portion having downwardly extending side flanges engageable with the base, said base having upwardly extending bosses adjacent said flanges for engagement with said flanges upon lateral movement of said treadle, a locking bar engageable with the jaw and the treadle to hold the trap inset posi tion, and means integral with said jaw for engagement with the locking bar.

.2. In a trap of the character described, a base, a'spring actuated 'jaw pivotally mounted on said base, a treadle pivotally mounted on said base on a pivot member integral with said base, said treadle having a forward bait holding portion and a rearward weighted portion normally holding the bait holding portion in an elevated position, said rearward weighted portion having downwardly extending side flanges engageabl with the base, said base having upwardly extending bosses adjacent said flanges for'engagement with said flanges upon lateral movement of said treadle, a locking bar engageable with the jaw and the treadle to hold the trap in set position, and means integral with said jaw for engagement with the locking bar, said locking bar having an upwardly extending projection at its forward end passing through a slot in said treadle and serving to maintain the relative positions of the treadle and the locking bar.

3. In a trap of the character described, a metal base, a spring actuated metal jaw pivotally mounted on said base, said jaw being formed from a sheet of metal and having an aperture at its forward end, a metal treadle pivotally mounted on said base, said treadle being U- shaped in cross-section at its pivot point and being pivoted on a T-shaped member integral with said base, said treadle having a forward bait holding portion and a rearward weighted portion normally holding the bait holding portion in an elevated position and extending through said aperture, said rearward weighted portion having downwardly extending side flanges engageable'with the base, said base having upwardly extending bosses adjacent said flanges for engagement with said flanges upon lateral movement of said treadle, a metal locking bar engageable with the jaw and the treadle to hold the trap in setposition, and means integral with said jaw for engagement with the locking bar, said locking bar having an upwardly-extending projection at its forward end passing through a slot in said treadle and serving to maintain the relative positions of the treadle and the locking bar.

- JOHN U. LEHN.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS record in the Peterson Oct. 7, 1947 

